I have a lot of "relatively" hard lead alloy (no hardness tester) and I'd like to further harden it with pewter but I have no idea how to deal with pewter, so if these Q's have been answered before I'd appreciate links.
I have a number of pieces that they may be pewter so I have questions on using it.
1. Since pewter melts at a much lower temperature than aluminum, can positive identification be determined by using a propane torch on a section to see if it melts easily?
2. Should I or can I saw pewter or should I melt it in a steel pot over a camp stove flame?
3. Is there any reason to not use my lead furnaces to make pewter ingots with?
4. Any suggestions on pewter to lead alloy ratio? I read that a Lyman 1 pound ingot mold will yield an ~ 3/4 pound pewter ingot. I know that the initial hardness of the lead factors in, but what's a good start on how much pewter to use in a 20 pound pot?